Legendary Spanish goalkeeper Ignacio Eizaguirre dies, aged 92

Ignacio Eizaguirre, who rose to fame in the 1940’s and 1950’s with Valencia and Real Sociedad, passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Spanish football is mourning the loss of Ignacio Eizaguirre today, following his death at the age of 92.

Eizaguirre began his career as a youngster with with Real Sociedad, before moving to Valencia in 1941, where he would spend nine seasons defending their goal. He returned to his native Basque country with Real Sociedad in the 1950’s for six seasons, before finishing his playing days at Osasuna.

With Valencia, Eizaguirre was a La Liga champion three times and won the Copa del Generalísimo (now the Copa del Rey) once, whilst also also being the keeper to concede the fewest goals, during the 1944-1945 season.

His performances earned him his début with the Spanish national team 1945 and he went on to represent La Selección 18 times, including appearances at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil.

Following the success of his playing career, Eizaguirre went into management, coaching Córdoba twice, Sevilla, Granada, Celta Vigo, Burgos and Alavés.

The passing of Eizaguirre will be commemorated ahead of both the Real Sociedad v Atlético Madrid and Valencia v Barcelona matches tonight, with the teams observing a moment of reflection before the games kick-off and donning black armbands.

On behalf of everyone at Inside Spanish Football, our sincerest condolences to the family of Ignacio Eizaguirre – RIP/DEP